Dingle in Ireland is a small port town in Dingle Peninsula, about 4 hours away from Dublin. It is one of the scenic stops in Ring of Kerry along with Kenmare and Killarney. Dingle is known for its rugged scenery, trails, and sandy beaches.
READ MORE: Best Hotels In Dingle.
If you are interested to visit this charming port town, here are the 25 best things to do in Dingle, Ireland.
Things you'll find in this article
- Best Things to do in Dingle Ireland (For 2024)
- Taking a scenic road trip is one of the best activities in Dingle
- Eating your heart out in this foodie town is one of the best things to do in Dingle
- Check out the nightlife and pubs is one of the best things to do in Dingle at night
- Enjoy the ocean and the water activities top the fun things to do in Dingle
- Learn the arts and history is also one of the top things to do in Dingle
- Burn your calorie off by sightseeing in Dingle town
- Shopping is also one of the fun things to do in Dingle, Ireland
Best Things to do in Dingle Ireland (For 2024)
Taking a scenic road trip is one of the best activities in Dingle
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1. Slea Head Drive
The 46-km Slea Head Drive from Dingle in Ireland is one of the best and most spectacular driving routes in Ireland.
It’s part of Wild Atlantic Way route which is considered one of the most scenic road trip routes in the world.
The route consists of breathtaking views of the coastline, offshore islands, and cliff-top roads. It is one of the most popular activities in Dingle.
2. Dingle Peninsula
If scenic drives, stunning coastal scenery, and a visit to one of Ireland’s most colorful towns sound interesting to you, renting a car and driving to the Peninsula is a must on a visit to Ireland! It is also one of the best day trips from Cork City.
3. Take a drive to Connor Pass
Connor Pass is one of the highest Irish mountain passes served by an asphalted road and this 456-meter high pass connects Dingle to the south-western end of the Dingle Peninsula.
The drive to Connor Pass is scenic with rolling hills and corrie lakes in sight.
Eating your heart out in this foodie town is one of the best things to do in Dingle
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4. Feast on some amazing seafood
Dingle is not a port town for nothing if you can’t enjoy the fresh seafood in town.
Go ahead and check out the best seafood restaurants in town: Out of the Blue Seafood, Doyle’s Seafood Restaurant and Ashe’s Bar & Restaurant are just among the best places to eat in Dingle.
Opening Hours (Out of the Blue Seafood)
Mon-Sat -5pm- 9:30 pm
Sun -12:30 pm- 3pm
Contact Information
Address: Waterside, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 0811
Email: info@outoftheblue.ie
Opening Hours ( Doyle’s Seafood Restaurant)
Mon-Sat -5pm- 9:30 pm
Sunday-5pm-7:30 pm
Contact Information
Address: 4 John St, Dingle, Co. Kerry, V92 K039, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 2674
Opening Hours (Ashe’s Bar & Restaurant)
Mon – Sunday
10:30 am-9:30 pm
Contact Information
Address: Main St, Grove, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 0989
Email: ashesrestaurant@gmail.com
5. Eat the best ice cream in Ireland
This little town boasts the best ice cream in Ireland. Murphy’s Ice Cream is an artisan ice cream company.
They make ice cream the old-fashioned way by breaking each egg by hand and only make ice cream in small, artisan batches.
Opening Hours
Mon-Sun- 11 am-10:00 pm
Contact Information
Address: Strand Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry
Phone: 353 66 915 2644
6. Enjoy a delicious breakfast in Pantri Cafe
A family-run restaurant, Pantri Cafe serves delicious breakfast meals and vegan-friendly options as well.
If you want to start your day right, start your day at this cafe and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Opening Hours
Mon-Sun – 10 am- 4pm
Contact information
Address: Lower Main Street, Grove, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 86 103 2399
7. Attend the Dingle Food Festival
The Dingle Food Festival is the biggest food festival in the County of Kerry and one of the most popular food festivals in Ireland.
It takes place on the first weekend in October every year and it highlights cookery demonstrations, workshops, entertainment for adults and kids and the over 50 market stalls that participate yearly.
Opening Hours
Friday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm,
Sunday 10 am – 3 pm
Contact Information
Address: Main St, Grove, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Email: info@dinglefood.com
Check out the nightlife and pubs is one of the best things to do in Dingle at night
8. Join a pub crawl
Ireland is well-known for its quality beers. So it is not surprising that one of the most recommended things to do in Ireland is to hit the pub and try out the Irish beers.
There are over 30 unique pubs in Dingle that you can go to and the best way to visit most of them is to join a pub crawl.
9. Take a tour of the Dingle Whiskey Distillery
If you want to learn how whiskey and other drinks are being processed, Dingle Distillery offers a tour for visitors. It costs €15 per adult and booking is essential.
To book, you can either email tours@dingledistillery.ie or call at +353-66-4029011.
Opening Hours
Mon-Sun- 9am-5pm
Admission Fee
costs €15 per adult
Contact Information
Address: Farranredmond, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 86 777 5551 / +353-66-4029011
Email: info@dingledistillery.ie
10. Hang out with locals in John Benny’s Pub
John Benny’s Pub is a local institution. It’s a place to eat, drink and to listen to live music for locals and even for visitors.
If you want to hang out and meet people, this is the place to be.
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat -8 am-11:30 pm
Sun- 8 am-12 am
Contact Information
Address; Strand St, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 1215
11. Enjoy traditional Irish music in O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub
Music is a big part of Irish culture. Proof? Just look at the numbers of world-famous and award-winning Irish bands and musicians.
If you want to listen to traditional Irish music, O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub offers a cozy environment for music lovers.
Opening Hours
Mon- Thu- 11am- 11:30 pm
Sunday- 12-11pm
Contact Information
Address: Bridge St, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 1983
Enjoy the ocean and the water activities top the fun things to do in Dingle
12. Swim in Inch Beach
Inch beach is a 5-km long sand spit jutting into the sea between the outer Dingle Bay and inner Castlemaine Harbour overlooking magnificent Iveragh and the main town.
Inch beach is a Blue Flag beach and it offers miles of golden sand and breathtaking scenery showcasing mountain, beach, valley and sea.
13. Visit the Blasket Islands
Over 1,100 acres of unspoiled largely mountainous terrain, the Great Blasket Island is approximately 4 miles long and 1/2 mile wide.
Home to abundant wildlife and fauna, the Great Blasket Island is thriving with Irish history and life.
The Great Blasket Island remains uninhabited today, but visitors can travel by ferry from Dunquin Harbour to this remote and wildly beautiful place.
You can spend several hours marveling at its natural beauty and what remains of years of human endeavor.
14. Go whale watching and also meet Fungi the dolphin
Dingle is also famous for dolphin and whale watching spots. Most tour companies will take you to the breathtaking cliffs below the Slea Head Drive and the towering Cathedral Rocks of Inis na Bro, where other animals such as sharks, seals, and migrating seabirds can also be seen.
Fungi is a wild Bottlenose Dolphin who is a resident of the entrance channel of Dingle Harbour and self-appointed “pilot” of the fleet due to the fact that Fungi always escort fishing boats to and from the port.
Fungi is known to interact playfully with swimmers, surfers, kayakers, and divers in the water.
15. Surf in Brandon Bay
Brandon Bay is a 6-km crescent-shaped bay with a multitude of different peaks scattered along its shoreline. It makes the best of most swells and while none are of any huge quality it can be commended for its consistency, especially in the summer months.
This gentle beach break surfing is perfect for beginners.
16. Sail around the islands
Dingle Bay is a superb sailing area with many sheltered anchorages, magnificent scenery and interesting islands. There is an abundance of seals, puffins and other wildlife to be encountered on your cruise around the bay and islands.
There are several companies that offer private sailing tours in the town center and if you have the budget, this is one of the best coastline tours in town.
Learn the arts and history is also one of the top things to do in Dingle
17. Visit the Fahan beehive huts
Visit the Fahan Beehive Huts of Dingle in Kerry and step into pre-historic Ireland.
They were built in the form of a circle of successive strata of stone, each stratum lying a little closer to the center than the one beneath.
No mortar was used to build these beehive huts by using the corbelling process. These huts dated back to the 12th century and they stand along the panoramic Slead Head drive.
Contact Information
Address: Fahan, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 87 925 4086
18. Visit Diseart
Diseart is a venerable stone chapel featuring historic stained glass windows & peaceful grounds. It is a Celtic cultural center and is known for its beautiful windows that depict the life of Christ. This was designed by the famous Harry Clarke.
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri- 9:30am-4:30pm
Saturday- 10:30 am-3:30 pm
Contact Information
Address: Green Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
Phone: 353 66 9152476
Email: info@diseart.ie
19. Check out the Gallarus Oratory
The iconic Gallarus Oratory is located at the very western tip of the Dingle peninsula.
With its distinctive appearance, often referred to as resembling an upturned boat, the church is now a well-known tourist attraction in Dingle.
Constructed entirely out of locally sourced stone, the church is corbel-vaulted which is similar to the Fahan beehive huts.
Mon-Sun- 9am -8pm
Contact Information
Address: Caherdorgan South, Dingle, Co. Kerry, V92 Y028, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 5333
Email: gallarusoratory@gmail.com
20. Climb the hill going to the Eask Tower
The Eask Tower is a solid stone tower on the top of Carhoo Hill, over-looking Dingle harbor. Eask Tower was built in 1847 in order to guide the ships and boats into the mouth of the blind harbor.
The wooden hand pointing from the Tower guides the boats to their destination. It is a 4-mile hike but you will enjoy the view plus the castles and sheep in the area.
21. Peruse the artworks in Dingle Art Works
Dingle ArtWorks showcases the artworks of local talents in Dingle. If you want a lasting reminder of your trip to Dingle, you can purchase prints for a reasonable price.
Opening Hours
Mon-Sun 10:30 am-5:30 pm
Admission Fee
Items may be purchased from as little as 50c to €3000 and include many exclusive gift cards and of course works of art
Contact Information
Address: Green Street, Dingle, Co.Kerry, Ireland.
Phone: +353 66 915 2220
Email: junemc@dingleartworks.com
Burn your calorie off by sightseeing in Dingle town
22. Walk the Dingle Way
The Dingle Way is one of over 30 Irish long-distance walking trails. Situated in the south-west of Ireland, the walk completes a circuit of the Dingle Peninsula, starting and finishing in Tralee, the capital of Kerry.
The trail is 179km long but you don’t have to finish it because it will take more than a week.
It is, however, a good trail due to the diversity of different landscapes and the reason why Dingle Way is such a popular trail.
It never takes long before a turn in the path reveals a dramatic change of scenery.
23. Climb Mt Brandon
If you have time, take a hike in Mt Brandon and be rewarded with one of the most scenic hikes in Ireland.
The spectacular views from the summit of lakes will give you a 360-degree view of the Wild Atlantic Way coastline.
This 8.5 km hike takes about 5-6 hours and it’s considered moderate to strenuous hike.
Shopping is also one of the fun things to do in Dingle, Ireland
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24. Dingle Crystal
Crystalware is one of Dingle’s greatest products and Dingle Crystal is one of the most popular Crystal shops in town.
All of their crystalware is designed, cut and polished by hand, using traditional techniques.
With every step of the production process being carried out in Ireland, Dingle Crystal is a true embodiment of Irish craft.
Opening Time
Mon-Sat-10 am-6pm
Sunday- 10 am-4pm
Contact Information
Address: Green St, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 66 915 1550
Email: info@dinglecrystal.ie
25. Tig Slea Head at Strand House
Tig Slea Head at Strand House is the longest established shop in Dingle and the best option for Irish goods.
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat -10 am-5pm
Sunday -11 am-5pm
Contact Information
Address: Strand House, Strand Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Phone: +353 (0)66 915 2703
Email: web@strandhousedingle.com
So I hope you enjoy these top things to do in Dingle, Ireland. Also, check out this list of Dingle Hotels for a comfortable stay!
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